A few years ago, my wife and I were part of a team helping to support an orphanage in Mexico. Though our limited (poquito, we said repeatedly) Spanish was an impediment, my wife enjoyed a precious bedtime ritual in the girls dorm, teaching them a verse in English from her own childhood:
Now run along home and jump into bed
Go to sleep, don’t cover your head
The very same thing I say unto you
“You dream of me, and I’ll dream of you.”
It’s not a prayer, exactly, but the girls took to it (even in translation), and it bonded them and my wife together in a way that I hope outlasted our sojourn there.
I think something similar can happen as we rediscover some of the prayers of our childhoods. Sure, we’ve grown and matured, and most of our prayers today are much more sophisticated than when we were children. But many of the things we prayed in childhood remain close to our hearts today—so why not rediscover those childhood prayers and pray them again? Here are seven that may be familiar and rewarding:
1) A Child’s Grace
God is great, God is Good,
And we thank Him for our food;
By His hand we all are fed,
Give us, Lord, our daily bread.
2) A Musical Grace
Be present at our table, Lord,
Be here and everywhere adored.
Thy mercies bless and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee.
3) Small Thanks
Thank you for the world so sweet;
Thank you for the food we eat;
Thank you for the birds that sing;
Thank you, God, for everything.
4) A Musical Petition
Teach me how to love Thee,
Teach me how to pray,
Teach me how to serve Thee,
Better day by day.
5) The “Guardian Angel” Prayer
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here;
Watch over me throughout the night,
and keep me safe within your sight.
6) Angels Bless and Angels Keep
Angels bless and angels keep;
Angels guard me while I sleep.
Bless my heart and bless my home;
Bless my spirit as I roam.
Guide and guard me through the night
and wake me with the morning light.
7) A Bedtime Prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep:
Guide and guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light.
Such prayers are rich with memory and meaning. But they still work for me, and sometimes take my mind and heart to a place of simplicity and trust that more elaborate prayers might miss.
Are there prayers of your childhood you might want to revisit today?
